Vegan Salted Coconut Caramel Sauce With Australian Sweet Treat Aficionados, I Heart Brownies

This post comes from our Australia contributor, Miann Scanlan. Follow along with her on Instagram @freepeopleaustralia!

The sweet treat connoisseurs behind Australia’s most-loved brownie shop, I Heart Brownies, share their recipe for an irresistible vegan caramel sauce.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you’ll be familiar with my affinity for all things cute, kitsch and retro – especially regarding homes that look as if they’ve been preserved in a time capsule. Which is probably why I was so drawn to I Heart Brownies, a mecca for all things pink, retro and delicious.

I literally stumbled upon this back-in-time corner of the world while exploring Brisbane’s newest laneway development, Bakery Lane. I was first attracted to the smell of something chocolate-y wafting through the air and greeted second by the line of people stretching out the door and out into the street.

I Heart Brownies is everything the name suggests: playful, cute and fun. Pastel-pink walls appear through a huge transparent heart in the window and nostalgic elements are littered throughout, including vintage milk-bar uniforms, iced lemonade pitchers and a retro phone on the wall to boot.

Created by baking aficionado and brownie connoisseur Lulu Purnell, the pink theme wasn’t always the original plan of action. “I had an idea to paint the walls pink, and when we initially did it I freaked out at how pink it was! But we slowly added the retro elements which began to soften the space,” said Lulu.

The menu consists of sugar-dusted heart-shaped brownies in a variety of amazing flavors including coconut, turkish delight and my personal favorite: Jaffa (a long-time confectionary favorite of Australia). While the brownies aren’t vegan, they are all gluten-free and are her top secret recipe, which Lulu spent years perfecting to cater to the large number of gluten intolerances. “I didn’t want to sacrifice taste and especially texture which is common for gluten-free recipes,” said Lulu.

To enjoy your brownies I Heart Brownies-style, Lulu has shared her delicious recipe for Salted Caramel Coconut Sauce – a modern twist on an old favorite which is gluten free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan!

Salted Caramel Coconut Sauce  

Ingredients

100g organic coconut oil

350g organic rapadura sugar (juice extracted from sugar cane using a press and then dried)

400g tin of organic coconut cream

Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Melt the coconut oil in a medium size pot over a medium heat
2. Add the rapadura sugar and stir until the sugar has absorbed all of the oil
3. Let the sugar and oil cook for around 5-10 minutes, enough time for the sugar to caramelise
4. Whisk in the coconut cream
5. Add salt to taste (salt will enhance the ‘caramel’ flavour)
6. Bring to a boil and let simmer for around 20 minutes, stirring only occasionally.
7. Cool – The sauce will thicken when refrigerated. It will keep for a month in the refrigerator. Store in a glass jar and eat warm or cold.
8. Serve over your favourite brownies, vegan banana ice creams and raw desserts!

I Heart Brownies
7/694 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4005
0434 589 792
Hours

Monday-Friday 7am-6pm

Saturday 8am-5pm

Sunday 9am-5pm

Instagram @i_heart_brownies